Dallas Marathon Freeze and Whine party

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"I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all." Ecclesiastes 9:11

By now all the second-guessers have realized that the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon officials made a wise and timely decision to cancel the race. They did exactly the right thing, and I didn't hear even a quibble. But that doesn't stop people for looking for something else to grumble about and this weekend the whining seemed directed at the "no refunds" policy.

Unfortunately there are people today who feel they are always entitled to something. I want a better car, a bigger house, more money, fame, better service, and I want them all right now!

I hate to be that guy who reminds you that when I was a kid how far it was to school and so on, but I remember the old days of racing when runners were tough, determined, quiet and strong. Adversity goes with the sport. Of all the oxygen-consuming sports, running is the second most difficult, so you would think that those who run would have more fiber, would be more understanding about a setback, shrug their shoulders and move on.

For the most part the runners I know were accepting of the no refunds policy. After all, the money goes to the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, and all the workers are volunteers. It's not like we're getting ripped off and someone else is making a profit.

It's okay to be annoyed or frustrated. I'm sure you trained hard for this race. But there will be more races in the future, and no matter how deeply your heart was set on a great race yesterday, the quote from Ecclesiastes says it all. In the great scheme of things, you are not in control, and all your wants don't matter.

I found it interesting that on a weekend we celebrate the life and contribution of the most kind, forgiving and patient man, Nelson Mandela, at the same time we aren't learning a lesson from what he gave us. Let's move on to the next race, thanking the Marathon volunteers as we should.

Two upcoming races for good causes

Over the next two weeks there are races in Coppell you should consider, as they both support worthy causes.

On December 14th you can run the 3rd annual Friends of Coppell Nature Park's "Deck the Trails" run at Wagon Wheel Park. This is a 3-mile trail run and lots of fun. I did it last year and had a ball. Proceeds support upkeep and maintenance of the trail and nature preserve. Details here.

I'm a big fan of Run Project, which is owned by Racings Systems, who always do a good job putting on races. Run Project is a series of nine local races that support local worthy causes. To date they have contributed $95,000 to these charities.

Then on the 21st you can run the inaugural Jacob Logan Run for 21 at Andy Brown Park. details here.

Jacob Logan was a standout Coppell High School student whose life was sadly taken last year. The goal of the race is to raise enough money to build Jacob's LifeVision Home at Family Legacy's Tree of Life Children's Village in Zambia. The journey from heartbreak to Africa to this race has helped the Logan family to heal.